Soft ice product machine with heating and cooling

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a machine and method for making a soft ice cream product formed of frozen air and gelatin dispersion. Heating means are provided to melt the gelatin solution in the liquid mix tank before mixing same with air and feeling same into the freezing cylinder.

Waited States Faient Carpigiani 1 Apr. 3, 1973 154] SOFT ICE PRODUCTMACHINE WITH HEATING AND COOLING [56] References Cited [76] Inventor:Poerio Carpigiani, Via Cairoli 14, UNITED STATES PATENTS Bologna, Italy3,291,200 12/1966 Lutz ..62/342 X [22] Flled- 1971 3,267,688 8/1966Carpigiani ..62/342 x [21] Appl. No.: 123,393

Primary ExaminerWilliam E. Wayner Related US. Application Data AtmmeyEdwin Greigg [62] Division of Ser. No. 8,529, Feb. 4, 1970, abandoned. I

[57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Apphcatlon Pnomy Data The invention relatesto a machine and method for Feb. 8, 1969 Italy ..6787 A/69 making a softice cream product formed of frozen air and gelatin dispersion. Heatingmeans are provided to .[52] US. Cl. ..l65/61, 62/162, 62/185, melt thegelatin solution in the liquid mixtank b f 165,24 mixing same with airand feeling same into the freez- [51] Int. Cl. ..F25c 7/10 m cylinder[58] Field of Search ....62/342, 162, 185; 165/65, 61,

165/24, 62 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures SOFT ICE PRODUCT MACIHNE WITHI-EATWG AND COOLING This application is a divisional application of mycopending application Ser. No. 8,529, filed Feb. 4, 1970, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a machine for the production of a soft icecream product formed of frozen airand-gelatin dispersion or foam.

It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide animproved soft ice cream machine by means of which it is possible toproduce a gelatin soft ice cream starting from a liquid solution havinggelatin dissolved in it.

A further object of the present invention is to provide as a new edibleproduct a gelatin soft ice cream.

Still further object of the present invention is to provide a soft icecream machine of the kind set forth, by means of which it is possible toproduce either the new gelatin soft ice cream or a conventional soft icecream, that is a soft ice cream not containing gelatin.

It is known that gelatin is an excellent dietary supplement and that itsuse as food is desiderable to increase the dietary protein, for growingchildren, for obese persons and for geriatric feeding.

However, the use of gelatin in soft ice cream was until now not possiblesince it was not possible to maintain the gelatin ice cream mix in theliquid mix tank of a continuous ice cream machine at the desired fluidconsistency requested for being process in said machines.

According to the present invention these inconveniences are overcome inan efficient and economical manner by providing in the mix tank of acontinuous ice cream machine heating means for heating the gelatin icecream mix to the melting temperature of the said mix.

Most advantageously, the said mix is heated at a temperature in therange from about to about 30C.

In many cases, it may be advantageous to heat the gelatin ice cream mixin the mix tank of the ice cream machine at temperatures in the range of70 to 100C in order to sterilize the said mix, before feeding same intothe freezing cylinder of the soft ice cream machine.

Further characteristic features and advantages of the present inventionwill be better apparent from the following specification of twoembodiments of same, said specification being made with reference to theannexed diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a first embodiment of the ice cream machine according to theinvention, in which the ice cream mix tank is heated through a fluidcircuit in heat exchange relation with electric heating means, and

FIG. 2 is a second embodiment of the invention in which the said fluidcircuit is heated through the condenser of the freezing unit of the icecream machine.

With reference to the drawings, 1 denotes the mixing cylinder of acontinuous type soft ice cream machine. Said cylinder carries at oneend, as usual, an ice cream dispensing unit 2, while at its opposite endit is connected, for example through an upright pipe 3, with the mixtank 4 of the liquid mix to be frozen.

All around the cylinder 1 the evaporator coil 26 of the freezing unit ofthe ice cream machine is wound. The said freezing unit comprises, asusual (see FIG. 2) a motor operated compressor C, which is connectedthrough pipe 5 to one end of the evaporator coil 26, the other end ofthe said evaporator coil 26 being connected, through a suitable valve Vto one end of the condenser 16, which in turn is connected at its otherend to the compressor C.

With reference to FIG. 1, the mix tank 4 is encircled by a coil section61, in heat exchange relation therewith, forming part of a closedheat-transfer circuit 11 comprising a circulation pump 7, which isoperated by motor 8, a coil section 6 in heat exchange relation with theevaporator 26, as well as a pipe section 60 in heat exchange relationwith an electric heating element 12.

The reference 10 denotes a switch valve by means of which it is possibleto insert the coil section 6 and the pipe section 60 in series throughpipes 111, 211 and 311 in the circuit 11, or to by-pass the coil section6, thus switching into circuit 11 the pipe section 60 only, throughpipes 411 and 311.

The switch valve 10 is provided with a cam acting on the multiple switch13. The switch 13 is provided with a first contact 113 disposed in theelectric circuit of a thermostat 9 mounted inside of tank 4 and adjustedto control the temperature of the liquid mix inside said tank within atemperature range of about 3 to 6C (low temperatures thermostat). Thesecond contact 213 of switch 13 is inserted into the electric circuit ofthe heating element 12. A second thermostat 15 is provided inside oftank 4, which thermostat 15 is adjusted to control the temperature ofthe liquid inside of tank 4 within a temperature range of say 5 to 30C.The said thermostat operates, through relay 14, a switch 114 inserted inseries with switch 213 into the circuit of the heating element 12.

Both thermostats 9 and 15 control indipendently through relay 17 theelectric current feed to motor 8 of the pump 7.

The operation of the described machine is as follows.

For the production of the usual soft-ice cream, that is ofmilk-containing ice cream, it is necessary to maintain the liquidice-cream mix inside of tank 4 at a low temperature, in order to avoidthe development of germs in said mix.

To this end, the switch valve 10 is switched to a position in which thecoil section 6 and the pipe section 60 are series connected in thecircuit 11.

By the above referred movement of the switch valve, the cam 110associated to switch valve 10 is brought into a position in which theswitch 113 is closed and the switch 213 is open. In this manner, thethermostat 9 is inserted into the electric control circuit and theelectric heating element is disconnected from the electric circuit.

The liquid in circuit 11 is circulated by the pump 7, operated by motor8 controlled now by thermostat 9. The said liquid is now circulatedthrough pipe 1 11, coil section 6, pipe 211, pipe section 60, pipesection 311' and coil section 61, thus cooling tank 4.

Whenever it is desired to use the machine described for the productionof gelatin ice cream according to the invention, the valve 10 isswitched into the position shown in FIG. 1, in which coil section 6 isby-passed from fluid circuit 1 1.

As best shown in FIG. 1, by switching valve 10 in the said position, thecam 110 operates switch 13 so as to close contact 213 and to opencontact 113. The opening of contact 113 sets thermostat 9 out of theelectric control circuit of the machine. Thermostat is now operative,and it energizes relay 14, which in turn closes switch 114, thusinserting the electric heating element 12 into the electric circuit ofthe machine. The pump 7 is now circulating the heat transfer liquid incircuit 11 through pipe 411, heated pipe section 60, pipe 311 and coilsection 61. In this manner, the liquid in tank 4 is heated to thedesired temperature, under the control of thermostat 15, by the heatedfluid circulating in circuit 11.

Whenever the temperature of the gelatin liquid mix in tank 4 attains aprefixed value, corresponding to the melting point temperature of thegelatin liquid mix, the thermostat 15 de-energizes relays l4 and 17,thus opening contact 114 excluding the heating element 12 from theelectric circuit of the machine, and stopping motor 8.

For the production of the gelatin ice cream according to the invention agelatin solution is used, to which suitable flavoring and/or othersubstances may be added. The said gelatin solution is maintained at itsmelting temperature in tank 4 by means of the heating circuit described.The fluid solution of gelatin is thereafter fed in a manner which isusual in soft ice cream producing machines, mixed with air in thefreezing cylinder 1 of the machine in which the desired soft ice creamis produced.

The gelatin liquid mix in tank 4 may be heated at a temperature aboveits melting point, and advantageously at a temperature at which germsare destroyed, and for example at a temperature in the range of 70 to100C.

In FIG. 2 a second embodiment of the invention is shown.

The said embodiment is substantially corresponding to the embodiment ofFIG. 1, and the same reference numerals are being used in FIG. 2 todesignate the same or corresponding parts of the machine described withreference to FIG. 1.

The main difference between the embodiment of FIG. 2 and the one of FIG.1 resides in the fact that according to FIG. 2 the pipe section 60 ofthe heat transfer circuit 11 is heated by the condenser 16 of therefrigerating machine, instead of by electric heating elements.

To this end, the pipe section 60 and the coil section 6 are each formingpart of two parallel branches 411, 31 1 viz. 111, 211 of the liquid heattransfer circuit 11.

The said branches may be selectively switched through valve 10 into thecircuit of the heat exchange fluid.

The cam of valve 10 controls switches 113 and 213, which are inserted inthe circuits of thermostats 9 and 15.

The operation of the embodiment of FIG. 2 is the same as described withreference to FIG. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A soft ice machine for the production of soft ice cream or a gelatinsoft ice product comprising a mixing and freezing chamber surrounded byan evaporator forming part of a refrigerating circuit, a tank disposedabove said chamber for storing a liquid mix, means for feeding the saidliquid mix from said tank to said mixing and freezing chamber, a heattransfer circuit for said tank comprising a first section in heatexchange relation with said evaporator, a second section in heatexchange relation with a heating means, and a third section in heatexchange relation with said tank, and means for selectively causing saidfirst section or said second section to be effective to cause said thirdsection to either cool or heat said tank, said heat transfer circuitbeing separate from said refrigerating circuit,

power operated means for circulating a heat transfer fluid in said heattransfer circuit, and thermostatically controlled means for controllingthe operation of said heat transfer fluid circulating means, wherebysaid tank may be selectively heated or cooled while said mixing andfreezing chamber is being cooled by said evaporator of the refrigeratingcircuit. 1

2. A soft ice machine according to claim 1 in which said first andsecond heat sections are series connected, said heating means is anelectric heating element, there is a flow control valve in said heattransfer circuit for causing flow of said heat transfer fluidselectively through either said first section, said second section, andsaid third section in serial, or flow through said second section andsaid third section in serial while bypassing said first section, andfurther comprising electric switch means operated by said flow controlvalve for disconnecting said electric heating element whenever said flowcontrol valve connects said third heat exchange means with said firstheat exchange means.

3. A soft ice machine according to claim 1, in which the said first andsecond heat exchange means are connected in parallel, and the saidheating means is the condenser of the refrigerating circuit.

1. A soft ice machine for the production of soft ice cream or a gelatinsoft ice product comprising a mixing and freezing chamber surrounded byan evaporator forming part of a refrigerating circuit, a tank disposedabove said chamber for storing a liquid mix, means for feeding the saidliquid mix from said tank to said mixing and freezing chamber, a heattransfer circuit for said tank comprising a first section in heatexchange relation with said evaporator, a second section in heatexchange relation with a heating means, and a third section in heatexchange relation with said tank, and means for selectively causing saidfirst section or said second section to be effective to cause said thirdsection to either cool or heat said tank, said heat transfer circuitbeing separate from said refrigerating circuit, power operated means forcirculating a heat transfer fluid in said heat transfer circuit, andthermostatically controlled means for controlling the operation of saidheat transfer fluid circulating means, whereby said tank may beselectively heated or cooled while said mixing and freezing chamber isbeing cooled by said evaporator of the refrigerating circuit.
 2. A softice machine according to claim 1 in which said first and second heatsections are series connected, said heating means is an electric heatingelement, there is a flow control valve in said heat transfer circuit forcausing flow of said heat transfer fluid selectively through either saidfirst section, said second section, and said third section in serial, orflow through said second section and said third section in serial whilebypassing said first section, and further comprising electric switchmeans operated by said flow control valve for disconnecting saidelectric heating element whenever said flow control valve connects saidThird heat exchange means with said first heat exchange means.
 3. A softice machine according to claim 1, in which the said first and secondheat exchange means are connected in parallel, and the said heatingmeans is the condenser of the refrigerating circuit.